I bought a pre reg nissan from a main dealer and have had nothing but problems with the car. First off there was mystery oil all over the door sills and sprayed up the side of the car after its first drive. I was told it was tyre slick or underseal but no one gave a definative answer and told me to go away and see if it happened again! Then the air con came on randomly and i was told this only happens on defog and that i should go away and monitor the situation. On the 11th day of owning this vehicle it had a head fit! with the central locking going off when driving, internal lights coming on and the boot opening up! I stopped twice to close the boot but this happend twice more and then the whole dashboard started beeping and the indicator turned itself on!! The mileometer doesnt match the mileage i know it has done and its out by 35 miles!? I have asked the garage for a full refund as I have only owned the car 11 days and been back to them three times already. However i rang consumer affairs and they couldnt tell me what my chances were as i have had the car just under 2 weeks and done (apparently) 430 miles. Is this still a reasonable time. ANY advice on getting your money back and others opinions would be greatly appreciated as i am in a panic with a pyschotic car standing dormant on my driveway!!
TA. X
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sounds like you have a car full of gremlins there!
On FAQs at top of page, there is a question all about rejecting cars, I think its question 5.
Attached is link directing you to it which hopefully may help to start with.
www.honestjohn.co.uk/faq/faq.htm?id=43
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2007 Seat Altea XL 2.0 TDI (140) Stylance
2005 Skoda Fabia vrS
Edited by Dynamic Dave on 23/10/2007 at 10:39
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Thanks for that. I have looked at this but all the 'reasonable time' issues seem very vague. i was wondering in experience what that means? Am I able to maintain I want a refund or do I have to allow the garage a chance to fix it? Trading standards are going to see the garage as part of a fair dealer audit, but advised they cant force the garage to give a refund and i may need to take them to court! I cant believe it. if i bought a pair of high heaes and the heel fell off 11 days after buying them i would expect a refund and not leave the shop without one. Why is it so different with a car!! Just in such a panic!
X
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sounds a classic case of a flood damaged vehicle to me
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The boot opening echoes a well known Micra fault that was caused by a batch of faulty boot switches that allowed water to get into them -- it is a covered press switch, as you know. In those cases, replacing the switch cured the problem. In your case, it supports bell boy's suspicion.
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How can I find out for definate if this is a flood damaged vehicle??
Thanks for your help so far!
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In a flooded car you would find silt and debris under seats and in nooks and crannies - plus it would likely smell a bit. No way would you mistake it for a new car.
Seems to me you have problems with the electronics behind the dash - could be something as simple as a poor earth or power feed connection. I would let them attempt a fix before getting too wound up - they should give you a loan car etc whilst they investigate.
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i said sounds like aprilia and im afraid i stand by it.
the country is full of flood damaged cars at the moment with everything from a 1996 ha viva to top of the range mercedes offered last month via sources within the trade,a lot of these vehicles have had fresh water flood over the sills and have been categorised as an x which does NOT show up on ANY checks made
i am not saying your car is flood damaged OP i am stating that it sounds like it thats all
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Not disagreeing with you BB - it **could** be flood damage. However I am assuming that since this is a pre-reg (i.e. effectively a new car with probably less than 200 miles on the clock) it would look, feel and smell new. I think its hard to cover up flood damage on a brand new car, even with the most thorough valeting.
On the K12 Micra the problem areas mentioned (locking, indicators, interior light etc) are controlled by 'Multifunction Module 2" - this is located under the top centre of the dash - I suspect there could be a problem here. The A/C control module is below it and shares the same earthing. Worth checking...?
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This sounds like the problem. However I have recieved such a bad service from the garage and as I have only had the car 11 days I still want a refund. Is this likley??
I know I could get the car fixed etc, but I will no longer have any faith in it and as it was only 3 months old when i bought it, i really expected it to have no faults!!
Am I within my rights still to ask for a refund and not accept anything less?
Im a bit worried about the acceptance issue and what constitutes a reasonable time?
Although I didnt reject the car until the 11th day, i did notify the dealer of the initial problems with the oil and a/c only 3 days after picking the car up, so will that be counted in as not accepting the car fully??? Sorry to whitter on about refunds, but I dont want to be stuck with a lemon!
Thanks
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If you really do want a refund you need a lawyer, deep pockets (to pay lawyer and buy a new car so you aren't using the lemon) and lots of patience.
A colleague managed a refund on a Pug 206 CC which leaked. The whole thing took about two years, but they won their case.
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I would think the correct procedure here is...
1. write to the garage outline the faults, say your a returning the car to be fixed for a final time (ask for a Courtsey Car ) . State at the bottom of the leter that you will not accept a recuring fault and if it cannot be fixed in a reasonable time (14 days) then you want a full refund.
Just mention Trading standards to show that your serious - this tactic works with main dealers on the whole.
The problem with a full refund isn't that you won't get one - it is that it ussually takes forever (reasons) they have you money, they hope you'll drop the case, they won't or anyone else for that matter want to shift a two owner car that's only 3 months old. So I doubt they will say here have £X K quickly it will take forever and will land you and them with a big legal bill and no guarantee of sucess. (the law is a strange thing)
3. Compromise say that you want to change the car for another model ? This could be away of them getting you off their back. I had this with a VW Golf some years ago when I rejected it for paint quality I got a Pre Reg SE model as a compromise a car that was much better for no extra money !
Paul
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Thanks Paul.
This is kind of what i was thinking. I am considering asking to swap to a different make of car -as this dealer has several different dealerships. So perhaps that will be the most pain free way of doing it.
Trading standards are already involved as there is a question of safety, however even they said i may have to take them to court! This seems like madness, isnt the law to protect you from being stuck with faulty goods!! - perhaps i am just niave!
X
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Yes the law is meant to protect, sometimes we can all beg to differ. Problem is a car is the most emotional purchase we make, in my road all live in the same style of house yet every car is different.
The biggest problem with returning a car is the balancing act between fickle and genuine. One of our family's best friends is a Managing Director of a large multi dealer.
Some of the stories he tells like the driver who tried to return a car because the radio reception wasn't good ...the aerial wasn't up or the woman who kept on maintaining her washer bottle didn't work ...try filling it.
However your case is serious and I don't wish to play down that I hope a mutual position can be found soon - You have a clear case for rejection.
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>>You have a clear case for rejection.
Or maybe not.
You are more likely to get better service if you remain sweet with the dealer. Give him a chance to fix it; he possibly can.
The law is there to protect you from being dumped with substandard goods, BUT the whole thing about the law is you have to go to court in order to obtain the protection you need!
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I had considered being sweet to the dealer and playing along. Even to the point of accepting them trying to repair the vehicle. That was until i tried to get into it to drive it back!! The car Wont open, none of the lights come on to idicate the key is communicating with the car - nothing - zilch! The garage hence is going to have to tow it away.
I think I need to stick to my original request of asking for a refund!! or at the very least a replacement car. This one has been nothing but trouble and has had almost a different fault appearing daily, up to the point now where there is no question about it not being fit for purpose as it is only functioning as a drive ornament!
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